


Real Love Meets You In Your Mess

by mitkit99



Series: 'Tis A Fearful Thing To Love What Death Can Touch [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alpha Percy Jackson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/F, F/M, Female Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan Lives, M/M, Multi, Octavian Lives, Omega Luke Castellan, Powerful Percy Jackson, Slight bashing, Smart Percy Jackson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:29:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22587928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitkit99/pseuds/mitkit99
Summary: "Real love doesn't meet you at your best. It meets you in your mess." - JS ParkLuke had already accepted he was a failure and a lost cause, only hoping that he can help the demigods by using the Titans to take down Olympus. Then he meets the daughter of Poseidon, the girl who is supposed to be his enemy, and everything changes. She awakens a longing in him, a longing at him to live and enjoy life, even with his failures and mistakes. But he's gone down a dark path, and he doesn't think he can be saved, even by her.But she does. She's hiding her own bit of darkness that is compatible with his own, if only she can tell him before outside circumstances attempt to rip them apart by the seams.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson/Luke Castellan, Percy Jackson/Octavian, Percy Jackson/Original Male Character
Series: 'Tis A Fearful Thing To Love What Death Can Touch [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1213734
Comments: 7
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

It all technically started for Luke when Grover showed up just days into his stay at some fancy private school, looking for demigods.

As two of the longest staying campers, Luke and Annabeth were awarded special privileges, though Chiron would never admit to being soft towards certain campers. They had been sitting in the Big House when Grover Iris messaged them.

“Chiron?” he asked.

Annabeth had smiled. “Grover.”

Luke just frowned, still blaming the satyr for Thalia’s demise.

Chiron had smiled. “Grover. How is your mission going?”

The boy looked sheepish. “It’s going fine, but there is something you need to know.”

The centaur was confused. “Did you find a half-blood?”

Grover slowly nodded. “Yeah, but she’s not what I was expecting to find.”

“What do you mean?” Luke asked, confused.

He got a sigh in return. “I think she’s Big Three material.”

They all looked at each other before Chiron spoke. “Who is she?”

Grover bit his lip. “Her name is Persephone Jackson, but she goes by Percy. She just turned twelve last month. She’s definitely an alpha, though the scent is distorted, almost as if something is blocking it. It’s strong though, even stronger than Thalia’s was. She has long dark hair and blue eyes that almost look like the ocean.”

Annabeth looked at Chiron. “Lord Poseidon?”

The centaur looked concerned. “Possibly.” He looked at Grover. “Stay calm and keep an eye on her. I’ll be there in a few days.”

The message ended and Annabeth was shocked. “A house call?”

Chiron nodded. “I have no choice. If this girl is Big Three material, I need to be there.”

Chiron left a few days later, taking a role as the girl’s Latin teacher. He lived at the school for the next few months, only coming back on the Winter Break with Grover. Luke was too concerned with his mission, stealing the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness to pay attention about what they were saying about this new girl.

Then April came and Chiron made a call to camp from his office at the school. Apparently one of the other teachers had been a Kindly One and had attacked the girl about something being stolen. Luke’s heart had frozen for just a moment with guilt that he might have gotten the girl hurt. That guilt only lessened when he heard that she had taken Anaklusmos from Chiron and had killed the monster, not that she would remember it due to the Mist.

When the school year ended, Chiron came back with a smile on his face. Mr. D had given him a confused look. “What’s got you so cheery?”

The centaur had grinned. “Our newest hero will be here in a few days. Grover is getting her now. I see great things happening in her future.”

Luke had bitten his tongue, trying not to make a snide comment about Grover’s failure with Thalia. He was saved by Grover Iris messaging them. “I’ve lost her!” He called, despairingly.

Chiron looked alarmed. “What exactly happened?”

He bleated in sorrow. “We were on the bus, heading into the city when she asked me if I was looking for Kindly Ones. Apparently, she had overheard our conversation yesterday and kept asking me questions, calling me out when I lied to her. I gave her a card for the camp and just before I could explain anything, the bus was forced to stop. We got out only to find the Fates across the street, knitting.”

They all looked concerned then, even Dionysus. “What happened?” The god whispered in fear.

Grover cried out. “They cut the string, staring right at her. They cut Percy’s string. She’s going to die! I freaked out, and she was weirded out as well. We got back on the bus and made it to the station. I had to go to the bathroom, so I asked her to stay and wait for me and she promised she would. But when I came back…”

“She was gone.” Luke finished. “Do you know where she lives?”

The satyr shook his head. “No, she never told me. Chiron, do you know where she might be?”

The centaur froze for a moment, pondering the question. “I contacted her mother a few months ago and told her that it was time for Percy to come to camp. She agreed but mentioned that she wanted to have one last time with her. She mentioned that she was going to take her to an old cabin on Montauk beach, a typical vacation spot for the two of them. I’m guessing she is on her way or already there.”

The satyr nodded. “Alright. I’ll head there.”

The message ended and Chiron sighed. “I’m going to be staying up late tonight. I feel like she may be here by morning.” Luke and Annabeth decided to stay up with him, playing games and just talking while Mr. D decided to head to bed.

It got to about two in the morning when they finally heard a knock on the door. They all three jumped up, Annabeth reaching to door first, wrenching it open to find an unconscious Grover and a barely conscious dark-haired girl. Annabeth went to Grover, while Luke made his way to the girl, trying to keep her upright. Her dark brown hair was tangled down her back and singed, as if she had been caught in an explosion, though drenched from the violent storm. Bruises and cuts were covering her legs and arms. Her grey and white open flannel shirt, blue-grey tank top, white shorts, and simple white tennis shoes were ripped and covered in mud. Her ocean-blue eyes were murky and half-lidded, as she fought for consciousness.

What was most shocking about her was the jagged horn in her left hand, one he quickly recognized as belonging to the freaking Minotaur.

Holy Hera, this girl had just slain the Minotaur.

Annabeth was also staring at the horn. “She’s the one. She has to be.”

Chiron shushed her. “Shush Annabeth. Luke, bring her inside.”

Luke nodded, moving to quickly pick up the pretty girl. He carried her bridal style, freezing as her glorious scent reached his nostrils. She smelled of lavender, sea salt, and peppermint.

She smelled like an alpha, a powerful alpha.

Luke pushed the scent aside, ignoring the longing to bury his face into her neck and just inhale the scent till it was forever burned into his memory, and carried her in. Annabeth and Chiron brought in Grover quickly and shut the door before they started examining the two.

Grover was fine, just unconscious. The girl, ‘Percy’ Chiron called her, was a bit more beat up. They quickly got the two of them to the healers, handing them over to some kids of Apollo who were on the night shift.

The next morning, all three of them made their way to the healers, finding Grover awake. “I found her at Montauk Beach, just like you said I would. Percy hadn’t told her mother anything, but we were being chased by the bull, so we had to flee quickly. We were almost here when the car was struck by lightning and exploded. I was out of it, but I could hear Percy and her mom pretty well. They ended up distracting it for a minute, confusing him I guess was the best way to say it. He ended up grabbing Sally and caused her to vanish in.”

“Vanish?” Annabeth asked.

Chiron seemed concerned. “She was captured. I’m going to guess by Lord Hades.”

Grover sighed. “After she vanished, Percy got pissed. She got the beast to charge her and somehow ended up on his back. She ended up pulling on the horn so hard it snapped before getting off and using the horn to stab him in the stomach, killing him. She then dragged us over the hill and to the Big House.”

Luke’s eyes widened at hearing how the tiny girl had killed the beast. It almost seemed impossible if Chiron hadn’t found the car wreckage that morning, going to get Percy’s bag that had been remarkably undamaged, and if he hadn’t seen the horn himself.

His gaze moved to the bed not far from Grover, staring at the girl on it. She was small, only about four and a half feet tall. Her long dark hair had been untangled and dried, now falling freely in waves down to her upper chest, stopping just below her developing bust. The blankets were pulled up just about the same spot, showing her to just be dressed in a pale blue hospital gown. Her cuts and bruises were healed, revealing clear skin and a delicate face. Her lips were a pretty pink, parted slightly with each breath she took. Her eyelids remained closed, hiding the blue of her eyes while her lashes dusted the tops of pale cheeks.

She did look better from the little he had seen of her the night before. He could definitely see a beauty in her form, an idea that sent him reeling. She was twelve, the same age as Annabeth and four years younger than himself! What was he thinking?

He left shortly later, making sure he stayed far away from the healers for the next few days. He tried not to focus on the rumors going around camp, ignoring the Stolls who kept asking him what was wrong.

He couldn’t do it forever though, two days later Annabeth came into Cabin 11, announcing she was awake and that they needed to make room. Not twenty minutes later, the daughter of Athena left a very awake and confused girl into the room.

She almost tripped over the rough doorway. She was now dressed in a grey tank, cream oversized cardigan, pale blue jean shorts, and beat up converse sneakers. Her dark hair was left to fall down her back in a loose braid. The only jewelry she wore was a simple silver seashell locket. Her dark hair was left in a loose braid over her left shoulder. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, not that she needed it. Her lips were a natural pink, as were her cheeks and her lashes were long and dark, framing the prettiest eyes Luke had ever seen. They were the same color as the Caribbean sea from pictures he had seen, clear and sparkling.

He heard some of the younger boys take a breath, all omegas, considering her pretty scent as well. It was muted, considering she was still technically underage, but it was intoxicating all the same.

She looked around warily, taking note of everyone in the room. Luke smiled, walking forward, just in time to hear Annabeth announced she was unclaimed and for everyone else to groan.

“That’s perfectly fine. Hermes welcomes all.” He flashed her a crooked grin, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach that appeared when she turned her pretty eyes on him.

Grover was right, she was definitely the daughter of some type of sea deity. With those eyes, the locket, and the fact her childhood special place was a beach cabin, it was easy to recognize where she belonged. Poseidon being her father however, that seemed a little unlikely. She didn’t look like Big Three material. “Luke Castellan, cabin head.” He said holding out his hand.

Annabeth blushed, making him fight to roll his eyes. He was well aware that she had a little crush on him, despite the fact that she knew he only saw her as a little sister, pack at that.

Percy smiled softly, flashing him just a sneak peak of her dimples, before taking his hand with her delicate one, giving him a firm but soft shake. “Persephone Jackson. Everyone calls me ‘Percy’.”

Her voice flowed over him like water, soothing. There was almost a musical quality to the words as well that made him want to melt. Her hand was soft but slightly calloused at the tips, reminding him of a musician’s hands. Some of the Apollo kids had the same hands, normally those who played guitar.

She took her hand back though as Annabeth pulled her out of the room, wanting to show her around. He grabbed her denim backpack as she went, quickly handing it off to Chris. “This is off limits for stealing.” He announced, mock glaring at the Stolls. “We need to make her feel welcome.”

It took about two hours for Percy to return. One of the boys had moved to the floor, giving over their bunk to the tiny girl. He had blushed madly at the soft smile he got in return.

Luke made sure she stayed near him during dinner, instructing her how to handle the sacrifice and answering questions, also finding out the truth of how she killed the minotaur and about how she had caused the bathroom to explode after Clarisse and some of the Ares kids had tried to initiate her. He had laughed at the brutal girl being practically drowned.

It was in the next few days that he started to question whether she could actually be the daughter of Poseidon. She was constantly drawn towards the sea cabin and the lake. He caught her looking at them multiple times and she was always clutching that locket of hers. The naiads kept smiling and trying to catch her attention. The horses seemed drawn to her any time they got near the stables and they practically fought over her the day the Hermes cabin was set to have a lesson.

She was a good rider. Apparently, she had lessons over the past summers at a farm outside the city, one owned by the sister of the old lady that lived in their apartment building, Mrs. Summers. Silena had commented that she was one of the best riders she had ever seen, if not the best.

It was at their first sword lesson that he stated to seriously question her paternity. He had partnered with her to start out, teaching her a few moves only to find out she had had basic combat training, again thanks to Mrs. Summers. So, when it got time to try out the main disarming move, he chose her to try it out on. Just before that, she had poured a bucket of water on her skin, trying to stay cool in the summer heat. Two minutes later, she had him on his ass.

And she continued to do that. Even with an unbalanced sword, she continued to disarm her. The entire cabin just kept staring at her, every time she had him compromised, unable to understand that this slip of a girl was able to beat the ‘greatest swordsman in a hundred years’.

To be honest, it hurt his ego just a bit.

When Annie came to him a few days later about her idea to use Percy as bait, he should have said no. He seriously thought about it before realizing it was her way to get in. Percy, as far as he knew, didn’t know battle strategy. It would be best for her to play bait for the Ares kids.

Besides, it’s not like they were going to be a problem with the hellhound Lord Kronos had tasked him to summon.

That had been when things went wrong. Annabeth’s plan went off like a hitch. He got the flag and was having his victory moment when the hellhound attacked. The only problem, it appeared to close to Annabeth for comfort and attacked her, only to get Percy who jumped in between the two.

Luke’s heart had actually frozen. That hadn’t been what he wanted. Percy was not supposed to be hurt, no one was.

He didn’t have time to focus on that before Annabeth was freaking. “No, I thought it would be Zeus!”

His eyes had flipped to Percy in a moment who was standing in the creek with water up to her ankles, the bite on her shoulder gone and the only remain was the tattered remains of her camp shirt. Two seconds later after that the fear he had consumed him for he knew that any child of the Big Three would be his enemy according to his lord.

That fear was caused by the glowing aquamarine trident shimmering over the top of Percy’s pretty head.

She was the daughter of Poseidon.

He barely felt his knees collapse to the ground as Chiron officially announced the news that cemented his hopelessness. It was official.

Persephone Jackson was the daughter of Poseidon, god of the seas, oceans, earthquakes, storms, and horses.

Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, god of wealth, luck, fertility, sleep, magic, travel, roads, commerce, language, and thieves, was the champion of the Titan Lord Kronos.

They were enemies and, though he didn’t want to, he would be forced to betray her. 


	2. Chapter 2

The night after Percy’s claiming, after he had helped her move into the Poseidon cabin, Luke had his first dream.

_He was standing in a beautiful garden, with a palace that looked like it belonged in a fantasy film behind him, dressed in a simple blue button up and a pair grey slacks with black dress shoes. He felt older, almost wearier._

_But he didn’t focus on that. In front of him, he focused on the grass meeting the stone floor of balcony, overlooking a beautiful cliff side, before moving his eyes to the lone figure staring at him. She was beautiful, about 5’6 in height, not including the jeweled grey silk heels she wore. She was dressed in a beautiful grey ombre high-low dress with a grey silk over jacket. He could see dangling diamond heart earrings peaking out from her long dark hair that was pushed back. It was completely the dark brown he was expecting, for the ends were dyed a mix of blue, teal, and purple._

_He walked towards her, only stopping when he was directly behind her. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. His face buried itself into her hair, at the crook of her neck, inhaling her lavender, sea salt, and peppermint scent. Strangely, he noted that the smell of thunderstorms had joined her normal scent, something that almost made him feel drunk. “Percy.” He whispered her name, nuzzling her neck, careful not to scratch himself on her diamond heart necklace._

_Her delicate hands grasped his that were resting on her stomach. “This is a dream for you.” She whispered. “What happened today?”_

_He frowned. “You were just claimed by Poseidon. You’re twelve, not twenty-one.” He stated, guessing her age from the maturity of her scent._

_She hummed. “Twenty-three actually.” She pursed her lips. “I wasn’t planning on going this far back.”_

_His frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”_

_She shook her head, turning to face him. He was struck by her eyes, so beautiful still but infinitely sadder, almost like the sea after a devastating storm, when the consequences and losses had just been discovered. Her right hand moved to cup his cheek. “I know about Kronos.” She whispered._

_He froze at her simple statement. “How did you…”_

_She shook her head, shushing him. “It doesn’t matter. You have the right principle, Zeus is bad news, but Kronos isn’t the answer. No being that can eat his children for power is safe. What he will eventually ask you to do is too costly, even for the safety of the demigods in total.”_

_He gave her a sharp look. “What do you mean?”_

_She smiled softly. “Safety is important. Zeus will cause more damage than you can think, but Kronos is worse. I need you to know that. That is why I will stand against you in this fight, at least as far as you are aware. That is the only reason though. I love my father as well, and most of the council is okay but Zeus and a few others are causing too much damage for me to stand on the side of the Olympians forever. A storm of change is coming, darling. You are at the very beginning of the mess that will come.”_

_“_ _What are you talking about?” He whispered, lost in the depths of her gaze, his inner omega rejoicing at her calling him ‘darling’._

_Her smile faded. “You will find out. Not today or tomorrow, but you will find out.” Her hand moved from his face to rest over his heart. “I’m so sorry. There is so much I wish I could tell you, now and later, but I don’t think I can. We’re so far apart and I won’t put you in anymore danger than I can help it.”_

_He was so confused. “I don’t understand.”_

_A watery laugh escaped her. “I know and I’m sorry, for this and so much more than you know.”_ _Her fingers tightened on his shirt. “All you need to know is I choose you, will always choose you. Even despite the others involved in this, I will never regret us, not even when it feels like my heart has been ripped out of my chest.”_

_Luke froze, gazing deeper into her eyes. Pain was there, but he realized it wasn’t physical pain. It was emotional pain, mental pain, and psychological pain. Whatever had put it there had damaged her beyond the likes he had ever seen. What could have done that? The Percy he knew, the younger one, was happy, slightly guarded and grieving her mother, but not tortured like the one in front of him._

_He thought back to that conversation Grover had with them all before he arrived with Percy, fresh off a battle with the minotaur. He had said they had encountered the fates and they had watched them snip a cord that the satyr believed to be the daughter of Poseidon’s. Now, he started to question that._

_Had they snapped the cord of someone else, someone that would mean something to Percy later on?_ _Had the Fates been trying to give her a warning for future misery? He didn’t know, and he didn’t know if he wanted to know._

_He was about to open his mouth to speak, to ask her what she wanted him to do with the information about Kronos she gave him, but he was interrupted by a male voice. “Persephone.”_

_The girl froze, clutching him tighter. “I have to go.” She whispered, before taking a deep breath and leaning up to press her lips to his._

_He barely had time to process the movement before she was letting him go, turning to focus on someone in the distance. He turned to see who, but it was too late._

Luke snapped up in bed, panting with the phantom taste of Percy’s cotton soft lips on his own. He looked around, gazing unsteadily at the crowded cabin.

Chris Rodriguez was the only one awake. His beta half-brother looked at him in concern. “Luke, what is it?”

He took a deep breath, not sure how to answer that. Had it been a dream? It was a vivid dream at that, but it mostly seemed like a dream. But why had he dreamed of an adult cryptic version of Percy? It made no sense.

“I’m fine.” He forced out, trying to make it sound as convincing as he could. “What are you doing up?”

Chris shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just had this weird feeling. It was almost like I could sense a powerful presence.”

Luke studied him. He doubted Kronos would be contacting his brother. “Maybe it was Morpheus. The god sometimes visits.”

His brother shook his head. “No, it was more powerful, more powerful than Zeus even, if that’s possible. It wasn’t dark either, more neutral actually. It was just so powerful it gave me shivers.”

Luke gave him a weird look. That was unusual, but he was too tired to process it. “Go to sleep, Chris. We have a long day tomorrow.” He didn’t even wait for a reply before falling back to sleep.

The few days went along his normal routine. The only exception was that in the evenings, he gave special training to Percy, since everyone else was wary of her now that her parentage was revealed. He hated how withdrawn she was becoming due to it and he wanted to scream at everyone else. Daughter of the Big Three be damned, she was only a lonely twelve-year-old girl.

Not even a week later, it happened. Chiron and Mr. D had pulled her and Grover into the Big House to talk about the missing lightning bolt. They believed it to be Hades, because of course they did. He felt bad for any child that god ever had having to deal with that prejudice.

Annabeth joined the two of them, blinded by grandeur. The daughter of Athena idolized the idea of a quest and those who returned victorious. He felt sorry for her, knowing that she was too naïve to understand the true hardships those who ventured out were faced with, just like he had before he left.

But he pushed those horrible memories aside, grabbing the shoes he stole from his father and ran out to meet the trio. Thankfully, he caught them just before they joined Argos and left. He barely focused on Annabeth and her childish crush, instead focusing on Percy. She was dressed simply in a pale aqua t-shirt with a faded beach pattern, dark jean shorts, and pale aqua tennis shoes with a denim backpack on her back. She had her dark hair thrown in a simple braid over her left shoulder that almost blocked her locket from view. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, only a simple smile to go with her pretty eyes.

“I want you to have these.” He said, trying not to flinch when she took the box in her hands. He hated this but he knew he had no choice anymore. She opened to box, causing Grover and Annabeth the gasp. “I stole them from my dad but haven’t really used them. Maybe they’ll help.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.” Her voice floated to his ears, almost causing him to melt. How could he be this weak? She was twelve!

She handed the shoes to Grover before turning to Chiron who was behind him. “Is it time?”

The centaur nodded. “Yes, and remember, the deadline is June 21.”

Percy nodded before turning to Grover and Annabeth, gesturing to Argos. “Let’s go.”

She was just about to walk away when he grabbed her wrist. “Wait.”

She turned back, concern in her pretty eyes. He wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn’t. He could only say one thing. “Be careful. Don’t get killed.”

Percy smiled, a weird light flashing in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

And with that, she was gone, disappearing into the quest that would change everything. He walked slowly back to Cabin 11, resigned to the role he would be forced to play due to his own actions.

As the days passed, he slowly began to distance himself from all of the camp. He still performed his duties as head of Cabin 11, but he didn’t throw himself into activities like he normally did. People said it was because he was worried about Annabeth.

He was, but Percy was the main source of his anxiety. Had the shoes worked? Had she been killed? Did she get sucked into Tartarus? Had he caused her death?

The only relief he got was several days into the quest. He had been sitting by the Big House, trying to calm his thoughts while he looked at the mostly peaceful camp, when he got an IM. “Luke!” A familiar songlike voice called out.

He turned slowly, freezing at the sight of the girl. Her clothes were ripped, and she looked like she’d just bathed in the Hudson. “Percy?” He asked, frozen. “Thank the gods, are you okay?”

She smiled softly. “Mostly. We’re in Denver. Is Chiron there?”

He almost pouted, wanting to keep her attention on him. He could probably help her. “He’s breaking up a fight. Things are starting to get a little tense. Athena is backing Zeus, but Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite, and Hermes are backing Poseidon. Not that I care, I know you didn’t do it.”

Her eyes brightened at his faith in her, having no idea it came from the fact that he was the one who stole the damn items in the first place. “Look, it had to be Hades. He has the Helm of Darkness, which allowed him to steal it. You’d have to be invisible without it to get anywhere near the damn bolt. Zeus thinks of that thing as his baby.”

She frowned in confusion. “But the gods can’t steal the power symbols of others.”

Shit, she was right. He tried to veer around it. “The Helm probably allows him the ability to get around that.” He froze, before asking the one question he had been dreading. “Have you used the shoes yet?”

She nodded. “They fit and they work fine. They’ve been a lot of help.”

He smiled sadly, knowing that it wasn’t going to stay like that. “That’s good.” He sighed at the shimmering affect the message started to have. “You’re fading out, Percy. I’ll see you soon. Tell Grover everything will be fine this time.”

She nodded and smiled before fading out of focus. He sighed slowly watching, her fade, knowing that would be the last time he saw her for a while.

It was a few days later that he came across Silena. She was at the stables, grooming a beautiful black Pegasus, humming softly to herself. He approached her slowly, choosing his wording carefully. “Do you remember the first summer you came here?”

She turned around, slightly confused at both his presence and his question. “Luke?”

He continued, barely meeting her eyes. “I do. I missed Thalia, spent most of it grieving her fate. She was so young and didn’t deserve to end up as a tree. I then spent most of it training, thinking I could prove myself to the gods like the ancient heroes did. I miss that innocent feeling, the naïve belief that I mattered to the gods, like I was special even amongst all the campers.” He sighed. “Then the quest happened, and things changed. I started realizing just how insignificant I was to them. I was just another demigod, even to my father. Every time I look at my scar, I see the truth. If I had died on that quest, he wouldn’t have cared, none of them would have.”

The daughter of Aphrodite looked at him in concern. “Luke, what’s going on?”

He shook his head. “I hate looking at the new campers, especially the ones that I know will end up unclaimed and forgotten. I hate watching the gods slowly hurt them like they don’t matter. I want to change things, and I found a way to do it.”

Silena froze at that. “What?”

He smirked. “I found a way to make the gods notice the demigods like never before, for them to realize that we matter and are a force to be reckoned with. I found a way to make kids here feel special again, to make them safe.” He met her eyes. “And I want you to help me with it.”

She gave him a quizzical look before smiling softly. “What do you want me to do?’

It took only about an hour to persuade Silena to his side. As the councilor of Cabin 10, she understood what he wanted to do to protect the kids, and what it felt like to watch as the kids under her watch slowly lost their special glow. With that image in mind, she quickly agreed to be his spy.

It was the next day that Chris approached him. They had been walking in the forest with the rest of Cabin 11, content to just watch and enjoy the scenery when his brother grabbed his wrist, pulling him back while the rest kept moving forward.

Luke turned and looked at him, confused. “What’s going on?”

Chris looked around, making sure no one was in hearing distance. “I was walking near the stables yesterday and heard you with Silena”

He froze for a second before getting his sword ready. Chris held out his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not confronting you about it to talk you out of it. I agree the kids here need better treatment and I agree that the gods suck most of the time. I’m not sure Kronos is a good idea, but it’s better than nothing. I just wanted to say I’m on your side.”

Luke gave him a calculating look for a moment before lowering his blade. “I appreciate that. Welcome aboard.”

Chris smiled before he reached out, causing Luke to smile and meet him, shaking his hand in relief. Chris was one of his favorite siblings. To have him on his side, it meant a lot.

They started walking towards the rest of the group when Chris asked. “What are you going to do about Percy?” At Luke’s confused look, he elaborated. “I heard you muttering in your sleep a few nights ago. She seems to be making a star appearance considering you kept saying her name.”

Luke would slit the throat of whoever told him he was blushing at that thought. Since the night he dreamed of the adult Percy, the one with the multicolor hair tips that he wasn’t sure was just a normal dream instead of a prophetic one or something like it, he had been focusing on the idea of a possible future with the daughter of Poseidon. She obviously cared for him, but he was so confused about everything. “I don’t know. She’s going to be the gods’ golden girl. I see potential with her, but I think it may just be ill-fated. She’s also four years younger than I am.”

Chris nodded in sympathy as they reached the group. “Maybe something will happen. You never know.”

June 21 is when everything started to be set in motion. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover returned victorious. The entire camp was celebrating the fact that the gods were not at war with each other. Luke was also relieved, but only because Percy was back safe.

And Annabeth, but Percy especially.

It was a few days later when he finally got her alone. She was dressed casually in a pale aqua tee shirt that stated ‘Born On The Beach’, ripped dark denim shorts, and aqua flip flops with her necklace and normal braid. They were sitting in a secluded part of the lake, with just the two of them and the chirping crickets. “How was it? The quest.”

She was silent for a moment before answering honestly. “Hard. It would have been easier if I had more training. Streets smarts was also needed, and Annabeth and Grover lack them, so I had to adjust, and we ended up in situations that we shouldn’t have been in. Annabeth’s smart, but not in certain areas and you can’t tell her that or she freaks out. Her naivety in the idea that being book smart is all you need, and her overall lack of outer world experience was an issue. Her stubbornness was a problem as well.”

He looked at her shocked as she continued. “And the gods… Zeus wanted to kill me even though I returned his stupid toy. Only Dad and Hades were decent, and Mr. D. if I’m being honest. I mean, I returned to Helm and Bolt and Zeus wanted to kill me while Hades returned my mother. Dad promised he cared and that he would be watching and helping when he could. Ares tried to kill me. It seems like the entire Olympian council may be flawed like that.”

“I agree.” He whispered, almost speechless in disbelief.

She shrugged, sighing in annoyance. “But what can you do? The other option is worse. I’d rather deal with Zeus and his paranoia that the titan who ate his own kids.”

Luke froze. What had she said? Had she really said what he thought she had?

She smirked slightly at his apparently comical expression. “I’ve been having dreams for months, Luke. I heard him when I was in the Underworld.”

“But why tell me?” He asked, practically praying she didn’t already know the truth.

Percy looked at him, a forlorn look in her beautiful eyes, like the sea after a cataclysmic storm. “ _‘You shall go west and face the god who has turned. You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned. You shall be betrayed by the one who you call friend. And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end’_. That was the prophecy I got from the oracle. I went west and faced Ares who had the bolt and helm in an attempt to cause a war for his own sick and sadistic pleasure. I found both items and saw them returned. I failed to save my mother from Hades, though he returned her later as a surprise favor. That only leaves one line.”

His stomach dropped. “ _‘You shall be betrayed by the one who you call friend’_. But what does that have to do with me?”

She bit her lip. “I’ll admit, I was a little slow to figure it out. Then I started thinking about the conversation we had through the IM. You seemed so certain that it was Hades, was determined to make sure I thought it was him as well, talking about the fact that the helm would allow him to steal the bolt. But then you mentioned the shoes and I remembered the flash of panic I saw in your eyes when you gave them to me. The shoes later didn’t work, almost as if they had been magically altered. Then Hades admitted the Helm of Darkness was gone and Ares mentioned he had help. Before all that, there was the hellhound from the Capture the Flag game, which no one but a camper could have summoned. It all adds up, though I didn’t officially put it together until the plane ride back to New York.”

He froze, his mouth on the ground. She smiled softly. “I take it you brought me out here to tell me. Kronos is calling you to leave, am I right?”

He nodded. “I don’t want to, but I don’t see another option at this point. I hate the gods and fully plan to burn them to the ground. You made everything more complicated.”

She gave him mournful smile. “I know, and I understand why.” She shook her head and stood. “So how were you planning on it? We might as well go with that. I don’t think we could stage something convincing on the fly.”

He stood too, summoning the pit scorpion as he did so. She raised her eyes at the creature, obviously impressed, “Wow. I’d say you must have really wanted me dead, but you brought me, a daughter of Poseidon, to the lake knowing water heals me.”

Luke gave a chuckle, despite the horrible circumstances. “I like you too much to want you dead. Had I not already made a deal with Kronos, I might have stayed for you, despite the bullshit.”

Her eyes met his. “Don’t count that out. The Fates suck, but who knows? Maybe they will be merciful this time?”

He gave her a bitter smile. “Maybe.” He looked down at the scorpion. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Percy gave him a sad smile, walking the few steps between them. Compared to him, sixteen and 5’6, she seemed tiny, almost like the child she technically was. “Yes, you can.”

She was so determined, like she knew and accepted that he could hurt her if he really wanted to. It broke a part of his heart. “No, I can’t.” He whispered brokenly, fighting back tears. “I want to hurt Zeus and his cronies, not you. Never you!”

Her eyes seemed to well with tears. “I know.” She whispered, before grabbing the hand that held the scorpion, bringing it up so their hands were level, their palms flat as the scorpion crawled across his hand to hers, making it’s way to right about her pulse point. She met his eyes. “It’s okay. You can go.” Her voice was so assured, showing a maturity beyond her years as the scorpion quickly lunged, sinking its barbed tail so it stung her pulse.

She let out a gasp at the pain, before Luke pulled the thing off of her, using Backbiter to slice the disgusting monster in half. When he turned back, he looked in horror as the wound started to appear like a giant red welt that was slowly starting ooze pus. She met his eyes again, hers now foggy due to the venom. “Go, they will be here soon.”

He nodded, slicing the air with his sword, disappearing just as she staggered to the ground, reaching into the water with her wounded wrist. He appeared seconds later by the tree he had stuffed his stuff, grabbing his duffel bag, and disappearing, trying to fight the hot tears that were slowly running down his cheek.

What had he done?


	3. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, I'm not deleting this or starting over. I'm just making some edits. Read for more info.

November 6, 2020 (The end of the longest week in fucking history)

Hey everyone, 

Don't worry, I'm not deleting this story or putting it on hiatus. I just need to let everyone know a few things. 

So, my computer did something weird and I lost a lot of the timeline and other important notes I made for this story and the others to follow it. I am in the process of redoing them, but I realized I am going to have to edit a few things. 

First, the Jason/Percy pairing is being dropped. Everything is just way too complicated if I add that into things. Jason will get love and everything he deserves and needs (No Uncle Rick, I'm not killing him and ripping out their hearts like you did), but with an OC that will come up later. I'm not hooking him up with Piper, though they will date briefly during the Giant War due to Hera's manipulation. Piper at the moment is going to be really in love with Annabeth, but there will be serious problems later on that will split them up. I am not sure if I am going to put them back together, because I think Piper might deserve better. Percy is going to be in the same boat with Luke and Nico in particular later on down the line, but I am putting them back together, so who knows?

Second, the boys aren't going to date each other. Be friends, sure! Percy is going to be their major binding factor. They each love her and she loves them so they are sharing her between them, but are not hooking up with each other. Percy will have another love interest that will be mentioned early on before becoming serious towards the end. It will be sort of the same situation, but a little bit more complicated. 

Third, the timeline is changing, hence the editing. I am basing the timeline mainly on my new backstory for Percy which is going to change things up a bit. 

Fourth, the dream sequence between Luke and older Percy will be deleted. The idea I had for that was lost in the files and is too complex for me to add in the new notes. It will be deleted. I will probably mention it later as a throwaway idea, but it won't be happening beyond that. 

Fifth, most questions I know I am going to receive will be answered in Percy's story. If I forget anything, I will do a Q&A at the very end to wrap up everything. Most questions I receive I will comment whether Percy is going to be answering it or the Q&A. I am trying to not let any secrets get out too early. 

Sixth, and this is just a warning. I am not going to be putting certain characters in a good light. Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Hercules will become major antagonists later on. Demeter is going to cause issues. Chiron is going to be extremely problematic, as will Annabeth and Will. I am not doing this because I hate them, just to showcase certain elements. I am going to be focusing on mental health and fatal flaws a lot. Annabeth's pride issues are going be a big issue. Chiron's emotional attachment to Annabeth due to him practically raising her is going to cause issues. Will is going to be so protective of Nico, who will be his best friend, that people are going to get hurt in the process. I am not character bashing, I am just focusing on the flaws. The boys and Percy are not going to be perfect either. They are going to be manipulated by outside forces, which is why Luke's title is so important. Percy is also going to be having some big trust issues, protective issues, and mental health issues before things get better. Luke is actually going to deal with the aftermath of Kronos' possession. Bianca's death and Percy's supposed involvement is going to cause problems. Things will get better before they get worse. 

I think that's it. I have classes till the Monday before Thanksgiving and will be out of college until mid January. The editing will probably be easy to get done, but a new chapter may take a few weeks. Finals, papers, extracurriculars, and the general bullshit that is going on with politics, family, and friends is really stressing me out. I actually passed out last night from exhaustion and have been suffering a caffeine withdrawal all day. Granted, drinking 11 cups of coffee, about 7 seven sodas, 5 Gatorades, and running on 5 hours of sleep over a 4 day period was probably not the smartest move, but hey, what else is new?

See you guys soon, 

mitkit99, 


End file.
